Spitfire IX circa 1943

Hello all,

Located in USA and working on a Spitfire Mk IX circa 1943 using all original instruments - serviced to work. Running off vacuum line, air pressure and 12v.

Total scope will be front of cockpit door to front of Frame 8 from about 10 inches below the main intercostal up to rear view mirror. Switches may operate items to side like Nav lights, identification lights, gun camera which I have and would be nice to illustrate function.

To date I have main panel and blind flying 6 complete and the only repro instrument is the trim dial. All others are original, correct serial/date and working. Mk II Gunsight by Barr and Stroud from my native Glasgow illuminates the bulletproof windshield I found and I have most of the framing for the rest of the plexi.

Expect to Fabricate - Frame 8, intercostals and skin and plexi from scratch.

Welcome to MyCockpit.org Graeme, you will probably have seen Darryl's fantastic Spitfire on our pages and it will be great to see another one! I absolutely love the Spitfire and I feel quite fortunate to be involved making parts for Darryl, his sim is not far away from being 'fired up' and I can't wait to have a ride in it!
Cheers and good luck with your project!
Gwyn Perrett
www.aerosimsolutions.com.au

Gwyn,

Yep - I found the forum while hunting for parts and Daryll's pit is VERY interesting. We are taking different approaches - which is absolutely NOT to knock his in anyway. In fact I'm quite intrigued by what he is doing.

At the end of the day - I'm not planning on flying mine on a computer and I don't have space to get back to the seat - hence the "scope" - I have set myself. It will be a display piece with some working elements.

Servicing the original instruments to at least functionality - if not 100% calibration - is fascinating and a reminder of my electro-mechanical childhood when no one had heard of integrated chips! I'm telling you - when you get a vacuum line connected to the blind flying 6 and the Horizon, Gyro and Turn and Slip actually spin up and start functioning, the altimeter drifts with changes in atmospheric pressure and the airspeed responds to a venturi I have to the side - it is quite the experience - in no way related to the modern "glass cockpit". :)

I have various parts on display pending their final integration - I'll pull some pictures together and post them.